Eruv Litigation

02/03/2023

STIPULATION OF DISMISSAL WITH PREJUDICE filed as to Mahwah, NJ on Feb. 2, 2023.

Feels a bit like groundhog day.

01/28/2020

Laws limiting where Jews can live show America going down a dangerous path on anti-Semitism.

03/19/2019

[Mahwah] The Ramapough Lenape Indian tribe has been locked in a legal battle with the Township of Mahwah and the nearby Ramapo Hunt and Polo Club for years over the tribe's use of their land as a prayer camp.

Yesterday, the US Department of Justice weighed in by filing a Statement of Interest, essentially formal advice to the court. The DOJ takes the position that if the tribe's allegations are accurate, the township has violated their civil rights and the case should proceed to trial. It is up to the court to determine if the claims brought by the Ramapough are factually true though.

Read the full filing at

02/22/2019

[Chestnut Ridge] Village board votes unanimously to allow houses of worship in residential areas.

It remains to be seen whether the pending zoning lawsuit from the Orthodox Jewish Coalition against the village will be dropped, or whether any group will challenge the new law in an "Article 78" proceeding that allows appeals to local government actions to be brought to state courts.

The full text of the law:http://www.chestnutridgevillage.org/pdf/v5.draft.HOW.pdf

02/14/2019

[Jackson] Last night's council meeting in Jackson NJ was preceded by a press conference organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center along with a number of public officials and community leaders, asking Jackson to adopt a resolution condemning the social media group Rise Up Ocean County.

Below is Reverend John Bambrick of Saint Aloysius Church in Jackson, speaking out against the Rise Up group and their use of Martin Niemoller's poem "First they came..." to target Orthodox Jews moving to towns in Ocean County.

In the end, the resolution was not introduced, with the council citing sunshine laws as preventing them from doing so without putting first it on an agenda.

01/24/2019

[Tom's River] Mainstream media picking up the story about Rise Up Ocean County, the Facebook group openly calling for people to "rise up" and keep Orthodox Jews from moving near them.

Video that echoes holocaust poem urges residents of the towns surrounding Lakewood not to sell to haredi Jews, warning they are taking over the area and harming 'quality of life'

01/17/2019

[Chestnut Ridge] New RLUIPA Lawsuit Filed

Orthodox Jewish residents of Chestnut Ridge have been unable to build any houses of worship, a lawsuit filed this week alleges, due to a zoning law requiring one to sit on at least 5 acres (around 4 football fields) of land. Such lots are rare in Chestnut Ridge and prohibitively expensive, and the restrictions violate RLUIPA and federal and state constitutions according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs are a collection of local congregations and individuals who currently are forced to worship at home, under the umbrella of an association called the Orthodox Jewish Coalition of Chestnut Ridge (OJCCR). They are represented by First Amendment pros Storzer & Associates, who are also involved in the land use and eruv lawsuit against Jackson, NJ.

Chestnut Ridge has been in the process of amending its zoning law to relax some restrictions on houses of worship, holding public hearings to much opposition, and are set to vote on changes in February. It's unclear if this lawsuit is an ultimatum then, or if it targets issues carried over into the new law as well.

01/06/2019

Clifton settles with Shomrei Torah for the second time in as many years.

01/04/2019

Congratulations to Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP for their staunch defense of religious liberty and constitutional protections.

May your services not be in such high demand in the coming year.

News & Announcements Weil Secures Landmark Settlement for Pro Bono Client Under Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) Download Print  January 04, 2019 Weil is pleased to announce that it has secured one of the largest-ever recoveries under the federal Religious Lan...

11/28/2018

Is Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan heading down the same path as Mahwah, USR & Montvale?

The end of that road is acrimony, anger and a law firm standing to defend civil rights.

Letter from Weil to Woodbury:

Related

11/23/2018

[Hallandale Beach] City commission and newly elected mayor unanimously approve eruv plan followed by standing ovation. No cost to the city and they get a few new palm trees by the beach for free.